Power efficiency is extremely important in a mobile information processing environment. Mobile devices, including hand held platforms, typically have limited power sources such as batteries. At the same time, mobile information processing has become much more complex, which requires increasingly higher processor throughput. Security additionally is of prime importance in mobile processing environments, especially in military applications. Mobile system networks often have multilevel security (MLS) issues including secure processing tasks to be performed, lower security tasks to be performed, or unsecured tasks to be performed. Processor performance on mobile device systems may not be sufficiently high for intensive applications including communication, sensor data processing, and navigation, while meeting low power mobile device configuration requirements. Multiple level security issues may require mobile systems that are capable of reconfiguration to maximize throughput for the mix of secure and non-secure processing required. A challenge for utilizing multiple independent levels of security (MILS) computing and networking is the requirement to minimize power demands for the mobile devices. Network scalability may also present design challenges.
Distributed processing capability can be employed to address performance intensive applications. Utilizing distributed processing capability to maximize power efficiency can satisfy the processing demand, but it is must do so in a secure manner. Implementation of an operating system with a simplified kernel level control may minimize the processor power demand for a given operation. Implementation of MILS computing may mitigate security issues in a mixed security classification level network, but it may lead to increased mobile device power demands.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for managing power efficiency in a distributed processing environment that may include multilevel security.